1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to tools used particularly by electricians, as well as wiremen in general, in installing electrical cable which requires that the cable be cut, the sheathing of the cable be slit and stripped away from the insulated wire ensheathed within the cable, and then stripping insulation from the ends of the wires, bending the ends of the wires to form eyelets, and securing the wires to a terminal which requires unscrewing and securing a screw to a fixture, and/or twisting wires together. Generally such operations in the past have required separate screwdrivers, wire cutters and strippers, pliers and/or knives and combination thereof, as well as a relatively high degree of dexterity.
The present invention provides a single hand tool which may be used to accomplish all of the foregoing functions without the necessity of using any other tool, rapidly with ease and greater accuracy, convenience and consistency. Since one tool can be used to perform the whole job, no time is wasted picking up and putting down individual tools and looking for misplaced tools.
2. Prior Art
There is no simple prior art tool that Applicant is aware of that can be utilized to perform all of the functions for which the present tool may be utilized.
Prior art tools which are multi-functional are complex in structure, difficult to use and are less safe than the tool of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,253,286 Bacon, discloses a combination wire cutting and stripping tool which also incorporates a wire sheath cutter, stripper, wire bender and screwdriver. In this case, the structure is rather complex and requires more moving parts and does not provide an adequate wire cutter function.
The stripping tool shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,871 Knuth, utilizes a flat blade for stripping sheathing longitudinally and again is very complex structurally, complex to use and does not provide any screw driving function, or twisting or bending function.
Of background interest only are U.S. Pat. No. 2,306,403 Mortensen; U.S. Pat. No. 2,729,996 Schoenwald; U.S. Pat. No. 639,792 Sullivan; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,608,401 Freed which disclose electrician's combination hand tools which perform substantially a lesser number of functions than the tool of the present invention.